Hmm…I don’t know if I agree with a lot of things here. Books are not eternal, and often disappear. You mentioned Beowulf, there is only one “known” surviving manuscript and it was written in a language that is not spoken today. You spoke of Birth of Venus as being reproduced, well every single copy of Beowulf read today is a reproduction, and a translation (not to mention incomplete since no complete copy of the manuscript exists). That said, how eternal can it be? The oldest known extant text is Gilgamesh, but again, it’s written in a language no one speaks, and no copy of the manuscript exists that is complete. Heck no copy of the original manuscript exists at all, and what manuscripts do exist are different. Shakespeare is the most famous playwright to ever live but there is not one single original manuscript that exists for any of his work. Not to mention there are two differing sources for all of his plays and as such a copy of a Shakespeare play you read or see performed may not be the same as one I read or see performed. And these are examples of things that survived, who knows how many pieces of writing have completely disappeared.

As for cooking, what is it that makes it art, the dish itself or the recipe? Can we not consume recipes for dishes from years past. Sure they won’t taste EXACTLY the same each time, but reading a book or a poem won’t yield the same enjoyment or perspective each time either.